Everybody loves stories of second chances, and Tuesday night’s third episode of American Idol was chock-full of them.

One such public second chance is really a third chance for San Diego’s Carly Smithson. As Carly Hennessy, the 23-year-old Irish woman tried out for Idol two years ago in Season 5. She got the call to Hollywood, only to have it revoked because of some paperwork issues related to her visa.

But that’s not all. Click the hyperlink above to visit Carly’s artist page on an old MCA Records Web site. My friends, that is Carly Smithson, potential Season 7 winner.

A big success already, you say? Au contraire.

MCA poured more than $2 million into Carly back in 2001 only to produce a CD that netted fewer than 400 units sold. In the realm of the pop music industry, this isn’t that uncommon, but it was an unmitigated failure nevertheless.

However, with her performance of Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” on Tuesday, Carly re-earned an invitation to Hollywood. And she showed off her new husband, covered in tattoos from face to toe, and I do mean face. He had voiced some private concern to his wife that people might not like him because of the ink on his forehead, cheeks, nose, lip, etc.

The whole tattoo thing is not my bag. In fact, I think it looks ridiculous, but I have a strange feeling his presence might actually help Carly in an odd sort of way, giving people the perception that for whatever reason, she carries an edge.

But if an edge is what Idol needs, then David Archuleta is not the guy to bring it. At 16, Archuleta told the story of being afflicted with vocal paralysis, although it was not clear when this happened.

See, it was only four years ago that young David was a finalist on CBS’ remake of Star Search.

Archuleta offered a fair performance of John Mayer’s “Waiting On The World To Change,” netting his a trip to Hollywood. Because he’s so young, David is almost assured to be this season’s Sanjaya — not because he is as bad as the Season 6 Top 12er, but because even with a modestly good voice, he just doesn’t have the vocal tools and life experience to bring much to the table artistically. He’s a little boy, and I think he would have fared much better if his folks would have just waited awhile.

Aside from the second-chance stories, Tuesday’s Idol offering got started on the right foot, if you asked me, as 24-year-old Tetiana Ostapowych sang the standard, “Someone To Watch Over Me.”

But I wasn’t really paying attention to the song. This chick was smokin’ hot, although her speaking voice sounded creepily, eerily like Martha Stewart’s. Go back and listen, and tell me I’m wrong. I’m not.

It’s not a good thing.

Perrie Cataldo, 27, of Phoenix, told his story of being a single dad, losing the mother of his child to something untoward. Nobody ever said she was killed in a drive-by or died of an overdose, just that she was at the wrong place, wrong time and with the wrong people.

Fair enough, and his version of Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love To You” netted him a trip northward to Hollywood.

Two of my favorite singers of the night were Michael Johns and Samantha Musa. Johns, 28, hails from Los Angeles by way of Australia, and he wailed on an old Otis Redding tune, and well, I might add. Musa, 20, of Baldwin Park, Calif., gushed with her sister over Simon Cowell before doing justice to Aretha’s classic, “Until You Come Back To Me.”

While many of the stories tonight were better than those of these two, few auditions were. Johns’ audition was so good, I would be stunned if he weren’t in the Top 24, and Musa had a Katharine McPhee quality about her.

Or perhaps I’m just smitten.

Tuesday’s show was devoid of the really funny, tense auditions. Sure, Monique Gibson and Christopher Baker made collective arses of themselves with delusional performances. And while Joseph and Juanita Mejia, 21 and 17 respectively, sang and mimed together to Oleta Adams’ “Get Here,” I’m reminded of a high school chum of mine who once said something about “nobody liking a mime.”

Agreed. (Kidding) OK, the Mejia duo almost made me crack a smile.

Valerie Reyes, 20, butchered Mariah Carey, and I don’t even like Mariah Carey. She bemoaned the possibility in her pre-clip interview that she could be one of the “rejects,” before her voice cracked in the audition like Peter Brady’s did on that episode of “The Brady Bunch” in which his voice changed.

Not even Alberto Hurtado, 28, could muster an audition bad enough for me to break out in a grin or to chuckle devilishly. However, his rendition of an original song he called, “Live,” was creepy in a tragic way.

Simon asked him if the song was biographical, and Hurtado howled about tragedy, over and over, singing cliched lyrics and creeping us all out. Hurtado bore gifts to Paula, as many of the rejects do, this one a fan that I’m sure found its way to a waste basket 10 minutes after her submitted it.

But if Tuesday night was about second chances for folks like Carly Smithson and David Archuleta, it was Blake Boshnack’s 12th Idol audition that got the perseverance award for the week. If you’ll recall a couple years ago, Blake showed up at an audition dressed like the Statue of Liberty, garnering an immediate “no” from Simon, without the youngster singing a note.

While Boshnack didn’t quite make it to Hollywood this go-round, here’s hoping that he eventually makes it. Ideally, he would try out 15 more times over the next six years, and then on his last possible attempt … the judges advance him to Hollywood.

People love comebacks. People love underdogs. And people love second chances.

I’ve got a sneaking feeling that a couple such chances will be storylines this season on Idol for quite awhile.

A weekly feature on american-idol-blog.com will be my Top 5 performances of the week, usually posted on Thursdays. Because this week was comprised of Season 7’s first two audition sites, I thought I’d start by explaining how I came up with this ranking.

And, the formula could change week to week. In fact, it will.

The Idol audition is not only about offering great vocals but also about emitting potential star power. Each year, we watch these, and then when some of the contestants become successes, we wonder how they went from Point A to Point B.

What I’d submit is that this “star power” either exists or it doesn’t, and not even our fairest judges always recognize it.

Check out Chris Daughtry’s Season 5 audition:

Are you kidding me? Simon said, “No?” No charisma? No stand-alone star power?

Of course, in retrospect, we understand now that Chris Daughtry is the single most important Idol contestant of all time. Not the best-selling yet, and even with the controversy he’s embroiled in regarding his comments to Rolling Stone, it doesn’t lessen the fact that Idol must focus on pushing those with an edge to the forefront.

So, as I examine each audition, I’m looking for both vocal prowess and edge, with a focus on whether or not I think the contestant has star viability.

And that means, for me, Kady Malloy of Houston doesn’t even make my Top 5 list. Sure, her impersonation of Britney Spears was uncanny. And, yes, her “actual” vocals on “Unchained Melody” were stellar, and most of America, I think, believes she was the standout of the week. However, making her the next American Idol would reinforce critics who say that the show has no real impact on the music industry in terms of critical quality.

It’s not that she wasn’t good. It’s that she had no edge. No soul.

Watch Malloy, and tell me if you disagree:

OK then, here are my Top 5 auditions for Week 1:

No. 5: Joey Catalano

The high, soft soulful tone to his voice, combined with kind of a nerdy hip-hop look make this guy a sleeper in my book. He noted that ever since losing 205 pounds, he was “on fire,” and that’s what I want in a soul singer.

The challenge for Catalano is in being able to diversify without succumbing to the schmaltziness of any particular genre of music or theme week.

No. 4: Chris Watson

The 20-year-old talks like he smokes a pack of Reds a day but has an uber-contemporary style to his look and his voice. Given that he’s interested in rock bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana, I’m really eager to see how this guy performs in Hollywood.

No. 3: Colton Swon

I said it from the beginning: Idol needs to embrace its country audience, and to do so doesn’t mean the contestant has to adhere to traditional country standards. The “red dirt” country movement, if you will, if super popular with young people, rural and urban alike, and the success of acts like Jason Aldean and Little Big Town reinforce it.

I would agree with the judges that Colton would have to work on stage presence a bit, and I would also acknowledge that put side-to-side against Chris Daughtry, Colton’s audition doesn’t compare terribly favorably. However, it’s not THAT distant.

He’s got the look, the style, the edge and most importantly a good enough voice to have a real shot at stardom.

No. 2: Pia Easley

Pia, or “Zpia” as she’s called, offers kind of an urban rock edge, and she reminds me of Meshell Ndegeocello a ton. She’s super urban, hip and definitely has that aforementioned edge, and my hope beyond hope is that she tackles some rock. A legitimate black female rocker would turn Idol critics upside-down.

No. 1: Kristy Lee Cook

What most of you don’t know is that Kristy is already signed to a development deal with Arista Nashville. However, because it was not a record deal, she was allowed to compete so long, I think, as she severed those ties.

No, there isn’t as much of an edge here with Kristy as there was with some of the others, but there was enough, particularly in terms of her personality. She’s a cage fighter and is beautiful, and given that the country music industry is chock-full of brilliant writers who can help give her an edge, I think she is an absolute shoo-in for stardom, one way or another.

Look, I am not the biggest country fan in the world, but her vocals were perfect. Her vocal style is deceptively soulful, and unless there was something strange in the Hollywood water, I suspect she’s one of your Top 24. Heck, I think she’s a Top 12er.

Heck, this list, our speculation and any audition success these singers might have had don’t mean squat when it comes time to perform in pairs and trios in Hollywood. Simon Cowell has admitted numerous times that certain singers have fallen through the cracks in the second round.

However, these are five singers that I personally think have massive commercial potential, if not the best vocal ability. It’s based somewhat on look and style, but it’s mostly founded on ability and edge. It’s what I’d call the “Daughtry Factor.”

Now, it’s your turn. Who were your Top 5?

If ratings from Tuesday night’s debut of American Idol were any indication, America doesn’t like the nicer Simon Cowell.

Viewership was down about 13 percent from 2007, and Idol suffered its worst ratings debut in four years. But don’t be too quick to judge. Idol’s adult demographic is relatively well educated (Don’t laugh. It’s actually true.), and many of those folks will be diverted by presidential politics.

Heck, I peeked at cable coverage of the Michigan primary Tuesday night. I won’t lie. It’s some of the best reality TV going.

Yet, my take on the initial figures is irrelevant. Here’s what we all want to know: Would Simon’s nice streak last a second night into the new season?

Yes, but he had reason to be kind as Jessica Brown, 24, kicked off night No. 2 — this time from auditions held in Dallas — with an “interesting” version of The Pretenders’ hit “I’ll Stand By You.” What made Brown stand out though wasn’t her talent, it was her story.

She is a meth addict.

With pock marks and scars on her face showing the devastating effects of a terrible drug, the Longview, Texas, native talked about her addiction, her recovery and her babies.

The old Simon might have made a comment about Brown needing to wear extra concealer once she gets to Hollywood, but he left it with, “You made the song interesting.”

What has happened to you, Simon Cowell?

Have to admit: I like the nice approach, personally. Just don’t think it’s good for business.

Kady Malloy, 18, of Houston, gave Simon even more reason to be nice with a rendition of his favorite song of all time, “Unchained Melody.” But what made Malloy super interesting was her ability to comically mimic Britney Spears voice.

Simon not only said she gave Idol judges the best audition yet, he added: “I’ve got a feeling about you.”

Always a good sign for a potential finalist. Look for this one to be in that group of 24.

Of course, night No. 2 offered its share of weird acts, one of which was even advanced to Hollywood. Kayla Dawn Hatfield, 24, told the story of a bad car accident six years ago, a wreck she shouldn’t have survived.

Like Brown, this Campbell, Texas, native bore the scars of her past on her face but still brought out the best in Cowell. Dressed like a gypsy, Hatfield howled some Janis Joplin and advanced with a 2 to 1 vote.

Did I say one weird act advanced? Make it two.

Oklahoma State junior Kyle Ensley — an international business, political science double major — offered Idol fans a schpiel about wanting to get into politics, even his desire someday to be the governor of Oklahoma.

Then in glee-club fashion, he nails a Queen song. Well, as much as an amateur could nail a Queen song in glee-club fashion.

Judges said he was surprisingly good with Simon noting that he was “not as bad as I thought you were going to be.”

However, Cowell ribbed him further: “You won’t do weird things with your hair like Clay Aiken, right?”

Douglas Davidson, 28, from Austin, gave perhaps the weirdest audition in seven seasons with his version of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer.” What made Davidson’s misadventure so odd is that he walked around in circles, mumbled to himself and noted that when he used to sing as a child, his father told him he hated him.

Not as in, “I hate you, you’re so good,” but as in, “I really hate you,” he said.

Funniest moment of the night. He was escorted from the audition room by security.

Muskogee, Okla., one of my many hometowns over the years came to represent in the form of 18-year-old Colton Swon, a modern-day country rocker. Colton belted a song from the country band Little Big Town, and Paula oddly noted that “Boondocks” was one of her favorite songs.

Why do I have a hard time believing that Paula Abdul listens or has ever listened to any country?

However, Simon offered this assessment: “I think there’s a lot of guys in bars singing like that all over the country.”

Might not seem to bode well for a fellow Rougher (if you’re from Muskogee, you’ll get it), but my gut hunch says Colton makes the Top 24.

All in all, night No. 2 offered less drama than Tuesday, a weird assortment of Dallas-area transvestites, and with the exception of a couple of singers, quite a bit less talent than Philadelphia. Don’t forget though that Seattle didn’t impress in Season 6 but went on to produce last year’s Top 2 — Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks.

While Malloy might have been the best auditioner yet, the most unique and potentially interesting musically might have been Pia Easley, 24, from Chicago. With odd carvings in her hair and what looked to be a tattoo on the side of her head, she wailed on a Gladys Knight tune called “I’ve Got To Use My Imagination.”

The judges noted that this model and backup singer didn’t come with the typical “beaten puppy” lack of confidence that previous backup singers on the show had possessed.

Melinda Doolittle, anyone?

Truth is, Easley wasn’t as good as Doolittle by any stretch of the imagination. However, her upside is pretty big. Potentially. She has commercial and modern and hip (almost literally) written all over her.

Perhaps that’s the theme of Season 7 so far. It’s all about the upside. While neither episode thus far has wowed, and although it’s strangely “nicer” than previous Idol seasons, there is an upside to this year that makes me think — still — that good things are to come.

But don’t call me a true believer just yet.

Coming into Season 7 of American Idol, the biggest question was whether the show’s creators would focus more on great stories or great talent. Last season was considered a down year because the stories were far better than the vocals.

Well, one show in, fans might be getting both.

Hey, we won’t know the ratings until Wednesday, and for all we know, the first shocker of the season could suggest the biggest pop culture event in America is on a continued slope downward. However, the first episode of Season 7 was perhaps the best put-together start to any Idol season so far.

In years past, producers would give the masses a terrible singer right off the bat. This year, they gave us Joey Catalano, a 19 year-old kid from New Jersey who has lost 204 pounds. Two notes into Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning,” it was clear that Philadelphia would bring some soul.

Perhaps it was a calculated move to tug at heartstrings five minutes into the season, but Catalano’s story and obvious talent underscored what a “nice” start to the season it was. While I’ve always believed that the nastier Simon Cowell is, the better the show is — maybe I was completely wrong.

At times, the first installment of Season 7 felt more like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Take the story of Angela Martin, 26, of Chicago. She had a daughter while in high school, and while the girl was a toddler, Martin noticed her feet turning inward. She has Rett Syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that outwardly looks a bit like cerebral palsy.

Martin made the trip to Philly for a shot at a better life. And while that story is all too common and terribly sappy, it’s clear that with this woman, it was heartily sincere. She brought a posse of friends and family, and sang some Stevie Wonder to the delight of Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

Truth is, Martin’s story is far better than her voice. But the vocal potential was there, and the story’s hook had already lured millions. Idol producers have always asserted that they wanted people to relate to contestants and their stories earlier in the Idol process.

Heck, at some point we should start calling the months from January to May Idol season because its regularity is akin to sports. From April to October is baseball season. From September to January is football season, and from November to June is basketball season.

This is Idol season.

However, let’s get real. Most of us watch Idol auditions to see the absurd.

One should have known that Philadelphia tour guide James Lewis, 22, was an odd one when he compared his vocal stylings to Paul Robeson and Eddie Vedder. Not that either alone is weird, but together, they are bizarre.

And as the weird description might have led you, Lewis sang the equally odd, “Go Down, Moses,” an old spiritual. What was weird is that he did not sing, “Let me people go.” He sang, “Leh my peepllgahhh” in a very staccato, spastic fashion.

Unfortunately, while Paula and Randy howled with laughter, this guy stood there humiliated. Yes, it’s mean, and sure I feel for those who feel the brunt of it. However, I feel no sympathy because these cats know what Idol is about.

Duh! Oddly though, Simon said nothing.

Alexis Cohen, 23, lives with her mother in a studio apartment in Allentown, Penn. She made a reference to the great Billy Joel song named after her town, but instead of crediting it to Joel, she said it had been recorded by Bon Jovi. Cohen wore glitter on her face, talked strangely like Richard Nixon and sang like she was channeling Grace Slick on acid.

After Simon booted her on her arse, she flipped off Idol cameras in a barrage of birds and spouted a bizarre speech that concluded with, “Always be victorious.”

I think she needed some lithium, and Simon said she looked like Willem Dafoe. Absurd, indeed.

Christina Telisano, 24, of Connecticut, said she was hoping to leave her hometown because it had nothing to offer unless she wanted to become a corrections officer.

I can’t make this s*** up.

Oh, and to take that big step forward, she dressed up like Princess Lea in honor of her favorite movie, “Star Wars,” but then complained when the judges turned her down, noting that they focus too much on outside appearances.

“I’m just a f***ing dork as usual,” she cried to her grandparents outside of the audition room.

Who says that in front of their grandparents?

Ben Haar, 27, donned a cloak to see our fair judges, only to derobe before he could sing a note. When Paula noted that whatever he was wearing on his chest made his chest hair stand out, Haar offered to have it all waxed.

He asked, “If I get rid of the hair, can I come back?”

This IS pop culture television. You KNOW they said yes.

Milo Turk, 39, a social worker from New Jersey, sang an original song called “No Sex Allowed,” which featured the following lyrics:

No Sex Allowed
I don’t want to be part of your crowd

Clearly too old and too bald for the competition, Turk said he merely wanted to give American audiences a clean and wholesome song. Simon called it creepy (it was) and sent him away.

Equally creepy was Paul Marturano, 32, who sang an original song called “The Stalker” directed toward Paula Abdul. Some of his lyrics included:

If she were a blackboard, I’d chalk her
If she were a bathtub, I’d caulk her
And if I were Columbo, I’d Peter Falk her

It was easily the funniest moment of the night, spoiled when Simon suggested that security get him away from the equally nutty Paula.

But amid the stories, talent and lack thereof, there were some auditioners who had some major mainstream commercial appeal, something beyond what a Jordin Sparks or Taylor Hicks have given the show the past couple of years.

Jurot Joyner, 25, from Maryland belted out Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.” Beth Stalker, 28, sang the standard, “Bewitched, Botherd and Bewildered,” and Chris Watson showed some deep-voiced soul with Uncle Kracker’s “Follow Me.”

Brooke White, 24, of Mesa, Ariz., showed kind of an indie-folk appeal with Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Like A Star.” On her MySpace page, she does a pretty fair pop version of Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” In fact, in terms of amateur production and styling, she really did an impressive job with it.

But the story of the night belonged to Temptress Brown, a 16-year-old girl who plays middle linebacker on her school’s football team. Seriously.

“Make me mad enough, and I’ll break your bones,” she said.

Yet behind that rough exterior was a ton of pain, watching her mother be confined to a wheelchair, in need of constant oxygen and attention. After singing, “I’m Not Going Nowhere,” (sic) by Jennifer Hudson and after being turned down 3 to 0 for a chance at Hollywood, tears streamed down her face and she bemoaned having to go out and face her mom.

All three judges got up, gave her a group hug and faced Mom with her.

It could be the dawn of a new era on American Idol, one in which the nastiness for the sake of “keeping it real” is replaced by genuine empathy for kids way out of their league who try anything to better their lives.

Nevertheless, the key for a successful Season 7 is whether the talent can keep up with the storylines.

And so far, so good.

It’s old news by this point, but the love of my life — Katharine McPhee — was dropped by J Records last week.

What’s peculiar about this decision is that her album didn’t do nearly as badly as Taylor’s, and I still say she had some upside commercially. Singles like “Love Story,” “Not Ur Girl” and “Over it” were actually very well done.

However, Katharine’s downfall in the business will probably always be that she seems a bit disinterested. She stars in her own movie, as I like to say.

Nevertheless, she’s still gorgeous and likely has a bright future ahead of her, maybe even in music still although I suspect she’ll get a chance and a break in movies at some point.

Here is the Idol performance in Season 5 that I think turned her into a star. Great, great song.

The ol’ profile is on the rise.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of American Idol on several fronts. First, it’s the third biggest-event created in modern television history behind the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards, and given that this reality show lasts for five months with huge numbers each week, it’s arguably the biggest made-for-TV event in the world.

Second, all television that lifts a nobody to somebody status with the clink of a magic wand is viable. Unlike shows on which one can win a million dollars or whatever, Idol is a show whose contestants have the opportunity to win a dream career. Given the success of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry, amid the lesser success (but success nonetheless) of many others, Idol has had a tremendous impact on the music industry itself.

Of course, the show has produced many bombs, and I’d submit that merely adds to the intrigue of the show. Will so-and-so make it huge or be a flop? The pop-culture masses talk about this stuff at the proverbial water cooler, and it’s the subject of television programs, online conjecture and newspaper articles.

And guess who was featured in one such article?

That’s right. Your resident Idol expert, me.

It wasn’t any run-of-the-mill article, either. This was USA Today’s cover story (weekend edition), written by Bill Keveney. He had left a note on a message board inquiring about possible interviewees, so I shot him a note and sent him links to previous columns.

The next night, he sent me a list of questions, and I answered them in my usual essayesque detail. A link to the article even made it onto The Drudge Report for most of Friday, which means it was certainly well trafficked.

But you can read it right here. Look for quotes from “Ryan Welton” …

All bias aside, it was a thoughtful piece, inquiring as to whether Idol would continue its dip into Season 7. Mind you, by “dip,” we’re talking 1 percent it fell last year over its previous season — hardly a cause of concern for the show’s creators and producers.

But as the show does every Tuesday and Wednesday from January to May, that dip has America talking. Has Idol peaked? Is interest waning? And has Idol truly been an industry success relative to the music?

I answered those questions and more, and you can now read the unedited e-mail interview I had with Keveney.

Q: Know of any frontrunners this year yet?

A: The weeks leading up to AI6 were full of chatter.
It’s been quiet this year. Not sure if judges were
asked not to talk about possible frontrunners, but I
haven’t even so much as seen a story in which a judge
has made what have been, up to now, typical comments
– such as, “I think the females are really strong
this year,” or “Watch out for Alabama AGAIN this
year.” It’s been eerily quiet. If you’re asking me if
I have seen anybody who I think stands out among the
40 or 50 rumored to be among Hollywood survivors, give
me Cardin Lee McKinney, sort of a soulful version of
Colbie Caillat … and I should note that Cardin has
Alabama roots.

***

Q: Did you enjoy Season 6 (last season) of Idol? Was
it as good as Season 5, which some consider to be
Idol’s best?

A: Sure, I enjoyed Season 6, but I’d be a total liar
if I said I enjoyed it as much as Season 5. The talent
gap between contestants in these the two seasons was
palpable. There was more drama on Season 6, but I
think most of us diehards really are in it for the
talent competition part of this show. We want to see
somebody deserving get his or her shot.

***

Q: For its first five season’s, the size of Idol’s
audience grew each season? Last year, the audience
declined a tiny bit. Why do you think
that happened? Do you think interest in Idol has
plateaued? Do you think
ratings will go up, down or stay the same this year?

A: One of the natural phenomenons of the YouTube
generation is that clips of performances could be seen
online a day or two after the show, and I think that’s
partly to blame for the decline in viewership during
Season 6. Also though, there are more choices on cable
TV every day. And the gap in talent between Season 6
and years past probably was a factor, too. It seemed
as if the judges picked finalists based more on
potential storylines than on actual vocal ability in
Season 6.It’s quite possible that interest in Idol has
plateaued. Given the level of success Idol has had, I
think it’s only natural that it level off at some
point to become a very highly rated program instead of
the phenomenon that it’s been. But it’s also still
probably a year-to-year thing. Mostly though, I
suspect this is cyclical and that, like Nigel Lythgoe
says — even if Idol were to lose 50 percent of its
audience (it won’t any time soon), it would still be
the biggest program on television.Finally, I think the ratings this season will be up
during auditions again this year, causing Idol fans to
get excited that whatever momentum the show has lost
is back. However, like last season, I think the
numbers are apt to level off like last season and even
fall a bit from last season, although probably only
very slightly. But ask me that again as soon as we
have our Top 24.

***

Q: Did Season 6 have a good batch of finalists?

A: Good, but not great. Seasons 3 and 5 were great. To
be fair, only time will tell, but during most years, I
can point to three or four singers who I really think
have what it takes to embark on solid careers. Last
season, there was only one: Melinda Doolittle. On the
other hand, in terms of drama, you couldn’t beat it –
but there is the paradox. Is Idol about drama or
talent? I’d submit that for its core audience, Idol is
about trying to find the best unsigned vocal talent.

***

Q: Would you make any changes to Idol?

A: Absolutely. I’d revamp the voting system to
preclude voting en masse. I think one of the reasons
some viewers have grown weary of Idol is because, at
times, certain contestants with what we believe to be
superior talent fall victim to contestants who have
capitalized on their own cult of personality (a la
Sanjaya last season). I would revamp the system to
allow one vote per phone line and one vote per text.Secondly, I would allow instruments and original
songwriting. I’m a musician, and I’ve played for three
decades, and I completely understand the criticism the
show has gotten from other musicians, calling Idol
vapid and a complete misrepresentation of the hard
work and organic efforts required to break through.
However, let a guy get up there with a guitar and sing
his own music, and then Idol reaches a new audience.
Let a budding Alicia Keys sit at the piano and sing
her own music or, heck, her rendition of a Stevie
Wonder tune, and the show will garner more respect.***

Q: How did the judges perform last season? Do you
think they still have it, going into a seventh season?

A: Overall, I do think the judges mailed it in during
Season 6, relative to previous years. Notice that last
year, not at one point, did Simon Cowell make his
annual declaration of love to any one of the
contestants. He’s typically endorsed his singer by
about Week 4 of the finals. And even the normally
nutty Paula was tame last year relative to seasons
past. I’ve never been that big a fan of Randy Jackson
in terms of being a judge, but last season, even by
his standards, was sort of a snoozefest.But, do they still have it? Heck, one off year out of
six isn’t bad. The trick is to not let one off year
become two. I think Simon needs to be nastier. Paula
needs to be nuttier. And Randy needs to invoke more
Journey and Mariah Carey namedrops.***

Q: Do you think Idol winners and finalists have
performed well in their post-Idol careers?

A: Yes and no. Fortunately, the contestants with the
most mass commercial appeal have performed well beyond
expectation. Kelly Clarkson. Carrie Underwood. Chris
Daughtry. Heck, Idol has found quite the successful
niche in country with Josh Gracin, Underwood, Kellie
Pickler and Bucky Covington, who despite bad reviews
during his stint on Idol put out a pretty solid
country record.Even those like Tamyra Gray, Clay Aiken (who has sold
quite well at times), Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Bo
Bice and Taylor Hicks, whose albums have been
commercial duds, have sold pretty well relative to all
the hard-working musicians out there trying to create
original music. So, I think we have to look at it case
by case.But overall? Idol has surprised even me at how well
it’s fared in terms of careers and record sales. Kelly
Clarkson is one of the biggest pop stars of the
decade. Carrie Underwood is likely the biggest country
star of a generation, and Chris Daughtry’s career is
not a blip. And in the music industry, finding three
mega stars via a little ol’ talent show goes well
beyond any expectation I had in 2002.

While I do wish that Keveney had mentioned this blog, which is owned and run by our good friend DJBill, I totally understand how that goes given that I’m technically a journalist myself.

I say “technically” only because when it comes to a show like Idol, I am but one of 30 or 40 million fans who tune in each week, just like you. The difference between me and most so-called fans is that I clearly have the makings of a pop-culture disease. (I bet many of you share it … )

Nonetheless, as my friends told me today, I’m officially a nationally recognized Idol expert (tongue in cheek), and I hope it means big things for our blog venture.

Feel free to let me know if you disagree with anything I said in the interview. Would love to know your thoughts.

Good news from Simon Cowell, who says that Season 7 of American Idol, which debuts next Tuesday will be one of the best yet.

You didn’t expect him to say otherwise, did you?

However, in a conference call this week with reporters, he says that three or four of this year’s contestants would have gotten recording contracts even without the hit show. Cowell went on to say that the talent is younger and more current than in years past.

This could mean one of two things. Either he is right, which is possibility No. 1 and would spell great things for Idol this year, or his interpretation of current is something more along the lines of Hannah Montana.

Not to knock Miley.

What I wonder here is whether or not Simon would say that last season’s winner, Jordin Sparks, is “current.” She’s young and pretty. Has a good voice, and she was probably incredibly popular among her peers at home.

But when I think of current, sorry, but I think of Kanye West and NeYo and Chris Brown on the male side of things and Amy Winehouse, Carrie Underwood, Alicia Keys and Rihanna on the female side. I think of FallOut Boy and Daughtry and Maroon 5 among the bands, although my personal tastes are a bit more eclectic.

Nevertheless, in terms of commercial music, today’s American popular music landscape, this is current. My concern is that if the talent is younger than it has been — 17, 18, etc. — then I fear it being closer to Miley than to Amy.

Simon also told reporters that this year’s bunch is more interesting. They’re more interesting people, and to those of us who love the show, I’m not sure that we care.

Bo Bice was interesting. Taylor Hicks was interesting. Fantasia was interesting. Heck, Clay Aiken was interesting (that’s not a diss, Claykens).

Problem is: Not a darn one of them was particularly current. Actually, I take that back. Most of Fantasia’s work was exceptionally current. It just never really took off.

So, there you have it, straight from Simon’s black t-shirt.

And, what do YOU think Simon means when he says the talent this season is more current?

Thought it would be good to put a friendly face to our friendly site, so we have decided to start posting video blogs. In this first edition, I decided to give you an overview of what to expect on the site this season as well as an analysis of what to expect on Idol starting on Jan. 15.

Boys and girls, we’re a week away.

But what if this year’s American Idol isn’t even American? Yep, it’s a possibility, as rumors have swirled that an Irish lass has made a big impression on our judges.

However, Carly Hennessy has way more experience in this business than you might believe. As of just a few years ago, MCA Records had spent $2.2M on her, only to have her sell about $5,000 worth of CDs — a massive, massive bomb.

Blogger Matt Goyer posted an article from the Wall Street Journal that explained further:

Eighteen-year-old recording artist Carly Hennessy is packing up her small apartment. Her promotional posters will go into storage, and the beige rental couch will be returned. A weight-control message that the slender teen scrawled in marker on the refrigerator — “NO, U R FAT” — will be wiped clean. For two years, Vivendi Universal SA’s MCA Records paid the rent here while Ms. Hennessy prepared for pop stardom. And that’s not all: The label so far has spent about $2.2 million to make and market her new album, an upbeat pop recording called “Ultimate High.” “Some people just struggle,” she says. “I was very, very lucky.”Not lucky enough. “Ultimate High” was released in stores nationwide three months ago. So far, it has sold only 378 copies — amounting to about $4,900 at its suggested retail price. In many other industries, this would be considered an extraordinary bomb. But in today’s troubled music business, it’s routine. Of the thousands of albums released in the U.S. each year by the five major record companies, fewer than 5% become profitable, music executives say. The high failure rate has become the focus of an escalating battle. On one side are big names such as Don Henley and Sheryl Crow, who are fighting the industry’s practice of holding top performers to multiple-album contracts that can take decades to fulfill. They complain that labels unfairly enforce such deals because they need to offset their lavish spending on ill-conceived acts that never make it. “We’re expected to indefinitely fund the record company,” says Mr. Henley, a solo artist and member of the Eagles, who calls the industry’s high percentage of flops “shameful.” He and other top performers are staging concerts Tuesday night — on the eve of Wednesday’s Grammy Awards — in part to support an amendment before the California legislature that would limit recording contracts to seven years. That’s the current cap on contracts for actors and other service workers, under a state law that originated from a 1940s legal case that helped break up the Hollywood “studio system,” which tied movie stars to multiple-film contracts. In 1987, the music industry successfully pushed to exempt record contracts.

Nevertheless, Season 7 wasn’t the first time Hennessy tried out for Idol. In 2005, visa issues precluded her from striking it big in the states.

However, according to a November 2007 New York Post article, Nigel Lythgoe was quoted as saying:

“There are one or two that stand out - there are three girls who are superb, including one girl we saw three years ago who wasn’t an American citizen [and is now] and we’re happy to have her this year,” he says.

This wouldn’t be the first time that a contestant with some foreign roots made it far on the show. In Season 3, Seattle native Leah LaBelle made it to the finals, but only after a name change. See, she’s originally from Bulgaria, and if I remember right, her mother was a vocal teacher of some sort.

Either way, both LaBelle and Hennessy are American citizens, so I don’t think there is any controversy there.

What bugs me though is that MCA spent $2.2M on Hennessy, and she managed to sell only 378 units. If our favorite show is to continue its phenomenal run, how can it do so with a singer whose commercial worth is a punchline? Look, it might not be a punchline right now, but by the time Hennessy gets to the Top 24, as it seems like she will, this will be a bigger story.

And Idol will face some criticism.

Then again, perhaps our li’l talent competition is a haven for second chances. That’s the ticket, and I like looking at things from a perspective of positivity and good energy.

Besides, if you’re asking me, this video from Hennessy — outside of the weird wind-blowing — wasn’t half bad. The song that is.

We’re just nine days from the premiere of American Idol, Season 7, and already bad news coming out of the music industry as previous winners Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard have been dropped by J Records.

Not a stunner although Studdard was a fairly decent seller for them early in his label stint. On the other hand, the Soul Patrol failed to ever give Hicks any momentum.

Posted today on monstersandcritics.com:

Winning or placing in the top reality show, “American Idol” is no guarantee the music buying public will continue to support the efforts of the chosen crooners.The dew is off the rose, as two past winners of “Idol” have lost their major label deals.

Just before Christmas, rumors began circulating that season 2’s Ruben Studdard, who released three albums for J Records since 2003 (the latest, 2006’s The Return, to modest sales), had been dropped.

However Studdard continues his management contract with 19 Entertainment.

Now the Hollywood Insider reports season 5 winner Taylor Hicks has also lost his J Records deal.

“Taylor is going to record his next album on his own,” said a label rep. “He is no longer on the J Records roster.”

What does this mean for the latest winner, Jordin Sparks?

More importantly, is it the beginning of the end for the profitable franchise heading into season 7 on January 15?

***

Fact is struggling artists are dropped all the time from record labels, and there’s no doubt that Hicks and Studdard had a hard go of it from the outset. However, both singers are pretty much back to the drawing board, and I’m not sure there is anything short of an inspiring record that will bring these guys back to the forefront.

The underlying message to Idol and its contestants should be bring it or go home. We’ve seen Carrie Underwood do it and Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry. Those cats aren’t getting dropped anytime soon, even with Clarkson’s disappointing album last year.

And for Idol, it means judges simply must start looking beyond technique and find stars. They’re out there, and while the show isn’t desperate for a new one just yet, they can’t have many more flops.